Asos chief executive Nick Robertson took £352,000 in pay and bonuses last year after bucking the downturn and more than doubling pre-tax profits at the business to £7.3 million.

For the year to March 31, sales at the online fashion retailer climbed 90 per cent to£81 million. Sales for the 13 weeks to June 27 rocketed 95 per cent, compared with 85 per cent the previous year.

This month, Asos is due to launch its branded clearance section AsosRed. The offer will initially consist of about 20 brands, expanding to about 50 by the end of the year.